return fire
noun
: the firing of a weapon to counter a shooter's shot
The suspect started shooting and was wounded by the return fire of the police.
Examples of return fire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Upon receiving target coordinates, the RCH 155 can aim and fire up to nine rounds in rapid succession before speeding away in around 30 seconds, before enemy artillery has time to return fire.
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David Szondy
may 23, New Atlas, 23 May 2026
Squinting through the flatulent fog, Absalom manages to return fire, planting a red-hot iron on Nicholas’s bum.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
Officers did not return fire during the encounter with the suspect.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026
The man struck Stallworth and started fighting with him, gaining control of the gun, tried to return fire and fled the scene, the affidavit states.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for return fire
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David Szondy
may 23, New Atlas, 23 May 2026
Squinting through the flatulent fog, Absalom manages to return fire, planting a red-hot iron on Nicholas’s bum.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
Officers did not return fire during the encounter with the suspect.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026
The man struck Stallworth and started fighting with him, gaining control of the gun, tried to return fire and fled the scene, the affidavit states.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for return fire
Cite this Entry
“Return fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/return%20fire. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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